Harden drops 42 as Rockets outlast Nuggets in overtime

James Harden was too much for the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night. 

Harden poured in 42 points in an overtime thriller - along with 10 assists, four rebounds and two steals - as Houston outlasted Denver 115-111. 

Here's what you need to know:

• Harden went to the free-throw line a whopping 15 times in the first half. He finished 18-for-21 from the stripe. While he only went 1-of-7 from deep, his only 3-pointer of the game came with 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter, with the Rockets down 96-95. It was a big one. 
• Dwight Howard, in the lineup for the second consecutive game, and Patrick Beverley joined Harden in posting double-doubles. Howard had 24 and 16, while Beverley had 12 points, a career-high 12 rebounds and five assists. 
• The Nuggets were led by Wilson Chandler, who had 23 points, and Arron Afflalo, who had 22, and who kept the game alive with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer with no time on the clock at the end of the fourth quarter. 

• The Rockets improve to 19-5 on the season, and an impressive 10-2 on the road. They're 3-0 in overtime games. The Nuggets are 10-15.